Standing between 280 and 325 feet tall, redwood trees are the tallest in the world. Thick reddish brown bark covers the tree’s trunk, which can span as much as 8 to 20 feet in diameter. Although redwoods hold the title for tallest tree, they are not the oldest. Bristlecone pine trees live longer than redwoods, with the oldest one approximately 5,000 years old. However, redwoods are a long-lived tree species, living hundreds and sometimes thousands of years.

Redwood Tree Basics

The heavy rainfall, rich soil and moderate climate of the Pacific Northwest provides optimal growing conditions for redwood trees. Redwood trees thrive in this environment. The tallest tree on record -- dubbed the Tall Tree -- stood approximately 367 feet before it's top fell off due to the impacts of local logging. Redwoods get their name from the red-hued heartwood at the center of the tree. They do not lose their leaves during the fall. Despite their towering heights, the root system of a redwood tree only extends about six feet underground.

Age Ranges

The average redwood tree lives to be between 500 and 800 years old. However, there are some old-growth trees that have lived even longer. The oldest living redwood trees are between 2,000 and 2,200 years old. Protecting these old-growth trees is considered essential by scientists because 96 percent of all old-growth redwoods have been killed by loggers. Today, old-growth redwood trees are protected by Redwood State and National Parks in Northern California.

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Vigor and Vitality

Much of the vigor and vitality that allows redwood trees to live as long as they do is attributed to a substance called tannin. Tannin contained in the bark of redwoods increases the tree’s resistance to pests and diseases, helping to ward off insects like termites, and protects the tree from fungal pathogens. Tannin, in addition to the thickness of the bark protects the tree in the instance of forest fires. The tree’s bark acts as a barrier to the tree’s core. This improves the tree’s vigor, helping it to survive and live longer.

Adaptability

Redwood trees have survived the ages due to their adaptability to fire, flood and fog. Redwood trees produce dormant buds, called burls, encouraging new growth after injury by forest fire. When the root system of a redwood tree is covered in layers of soil and silt after a flood, the tree begins a new set above the top of the old roots, closer to the surface, allowing the tree to live on. Redwood trees also utilize the dense fog that blankets the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Redwoods pull moisture from fog, getting up to 40 percent of their water needs from fog during the dry summer months. The long lifespan of redwood trees is made possible by its adaptability.